Feeder



oct. 16, 1934.

A. A. HOLBECK FEEDER Filed Nov. 19, 1931 Arme/vars.

Patented Oct. 16, 1934 UNITED STATES FEEDER Austin Apllolbeok, Lakewood, Ohio zclaiml.

This invention relates to a feeding mechanism .and is of a type adapted to feed coal, grain, our

or powderedmaterial.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a feeding mechanism which will insure the feeding of a steady, uniform and coritinuous supply of material.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a feeder in which the material is dried and rendered more susceptible to further treatment.

Other objects of the invention and features of novelty will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which i Figure i is a side elevation view of my improved feeder tted to a coal pulverizer, certain parts of the feeder being broken away to more clearly disclose other parts.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the feeder shown in Fig. i, with the hopper removed, and

his. d is a sectional view talren alcunr the line .i-b oi' Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, lo indicates genorally, a feeder embodying-my invention, while li indicates generally a coal pulverlzer 'or other similar mechanism requiring a continuous supply oi granular or powdered material. in this in-a stance ll have shown my improved feeder applied to a coal pulverizer similar in construction to that constituting the subject matter of my U. S. Patent No. 'imiln Above the feeder is a hopper 12 or other re-s ceptacle adapted to receive a quantity of im terial, such as coalyii, which is to be fed. e feeder includes a chain conveyor which is enclosed in a substantially air tight housing. This housing is preferably constructed from sheet metal and is divided into uppervand lower compartments. The upper compartment has two communicating chambers, one of which is adapted to hold a quantity of coal or other material, while the other has an opening through which airis admitted to the feeder. At the right hand end of the housing as viewed in Fig. 1, there is a por tion 16, which is just large enough tor enclose the end of the chain conveyor. Adjacent the portion 16 is a chamber 17, which leads from the -hopper 12 and into which the material ows from the hopper. To the left of the chamber 17 is a narrower portion 18, while to the left of this portion is a wider and higher chamber 19, which has an opening 20 surrounded by the flange 21. A conduit to supplyl heated air to the feeder 651s connected to the opening 20.l Adjacent the Application November 19, 1931, Serial No. 576,073

.driving means, not shown, as by a motor .or by a cin or beltconnected to the pulverizer unit.

:The sprocket is driven so that the upper run oi gie chain, moves from rightto left, as viewed in it@ The chain illustrated is constructed of a nB ber oi' links composed oi side bars 3o which are spaced apart by means oi' the cross bars 37. The l are horribly secured together by means of @d pins so as to iorrn an endless chain of .relatively open construction. l it should be understood, however, that this invention is not limited to any particular hind of chain, but that any one of many well own kinds of chain may be exndu ployed.

ri plate it), which entends across the ho and separates the upper and lower compartments, is placed ediately beneath the upper run oi the chain. plate extends 'the entire' es length oi the chamber i7 and through the narrow portion it, terating in the chber it.

il. plate i2 is placed at the entrance to the por tion it. The plate i2 is fitted with a handle t3, and can be adjusted up and down, so as to ghe size of the opening leading from the chamer l'l'.

'The bottom .plate '45 oi the feeder is just below the bottom run or the chain. An aperture or hole d6 is placed in the -bottom plate and, as op illustrated, this aperture is located directly below the hopper and extends the entire width of the housing. A baille plate 4d is placed just to the right oi the aperture 46. This plate extends from the plate 40 to a point just above the bottom '100 run of the chain. It has been found that. this plate is not necessary, however, in some installations.

In operation, coal or other material 14 to be fed is placed in the hopper 12. It then feeds by gravity through the chamber 17, and illls up the spaces in the links of the chain. The material is supported by the plate 40 which is below the chain, and when the chain is moved the materiai is carried along by the chain. The amount Y chain. The material will be carried along untily ofv material carried will be governed by the position of the member 42 which regulates the size of the opening leading from the chamber 17.

'I'he material will be carried along ./by the chain until it reaches the end of theplate 40 which is within the chamber 19. When the material reaches the chamber 19 it will meet the blast of warm air which enters at 20. The air can be i'orced into the feeder by means of a blower, not shown, or it may be sucked into the feeder by the action of the mech which the feeder supplies. The air can, oi course, be heated by any well known means, as by a coil in the 'furnace combustion chamber or in the flue. The heated air will dry the material so that it can be more" readily pulverized, or otherwise treated.

When the material reaches the end of the plate d0, it will fall through the spaces in the chain or over the sides of the chain and into the lower compartment. This will result largely from gravity, but the blast oi air which enters at 20 will help loosen the material incase it sticks in the chain. As the material falls through the chain it will be agitated so that the heated air will come into intimate contact with substantially all of the material. This is important with wet substances which may be sticw or lumpy.

The material which falls through the upper run of the chain will drop onto the lower run oi' the chain and on the bottom plate 45. '111e lower run of the chain moves, of course, in the opposite direction from the upper run of the it reaches the aperture 46, whence it will drop through this aperture to the device to be fed, inc

this case a coal pulverizer. The heated air which is introduced into the feeder also discharges through the aperture 46. The baille 48 prevents the material travelling beyond the discharge opening. It has been found that this baille is unnecessary unless the material fed is very wet.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides a feeding mechanism which will supply a steady and continuous supply of material. The 'chain positively carries the ma-` terial-through the feederl while, at the same time, the amount carried is regulatedby the quantity which will pass through the opening leading from the throat 17. As this quantity will be relatively constant with any given adjustment of the member 42, it. will be seen that the rate of feed will be steady. By changing the position of the member 42 the rate of feed can,

of course, be changed. It will be seen also that the feeder constructed according to my invention provides means by which heated air can be mixed with the material in the feeder so as to dry the material and render it more susceptible to further treatment, such for example as a pulverizing treatment.

The feeder provided by my invention is not limited to the handling of coal but is adapted to handle any othergranular or powdered material. Neither is it limited to feeding a' coal pulverizer, it being contemplated that the feeder can be used in connection .with any device requirone construction: embodying my invention, it should be understood that changes may be made thereto -without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A combined feeding and drying device comprising a housing having upper and lower compartments and a plate therebetween which forms the bottom of the upper compartment for supporting material to be fed and dried, said upper compartment comprising a hopper having a discharge 4opening at one side of the base thereof and said plate being extended beyond said opening and terminating with a free edge, said lower compartment having a bottom wall and an open ing for the delivery of material therefrom, a chain conveyor arranged to traverse said 'plate and the bottom wall of said lower compartment, means for moving said chain across said plate and bottom wall whereby material is displaced from said plate over said free edge to drop by gravity through the chain onto the bottom wall of the lower compartment and is then displaced along said bottom wall and fed through the delivery opening by the chain, and means for causing a iiow of heated air through the housing in contact with the material dropping into the lower compartment whereby moisture is removed from the material, said air flow means including a substantially vertically arranged supply conduit disposed above the free edge of said plate for directing the air downwardly substantially in line with the material falling from said free edge.

2. A combined feeding and drying device comprising a housing having upper and lower compartments and a plate therebetween which forms the bottom of the upper compartment for sup porting material to be fed and dried, said upper compartment comprising a hopper having a, discharge opening at one side of the base thereof and Asaid plate being extended beyond said opening and terminating with a free edge, said lower compartment having a bottom wall and a. delivery opening through said bottom wall at a point beneath said plate but offset laterallyV from said edge of the plate, a chain conveyor arranged to traverse said plate and the bottom wall of said lower compartment, means for moving said chain across said plate and bottom wall whereby material is displaced from said plate over said edge to drop by gravity through the chain onto the bottom wall of the lower compartment and is then displaced along said bottom wall and fed through said delivery opening by the chain, and

-means for supplying heated air tothe housing at a point relatively remote from said delivery opening such that the air contacts with the material dropping into the lower compartment and with the material beingv displaced along said b'ottom wall, said air supply means including a substantially vertically arranged conduit disposed above the free edge of said plate for directing the air downwardly substantially in line with the material falling from said free edge.

' AUSTIN A. HOLBECK. 

